1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to notebooks or folders having an internal easel stand fixed to the inside cover. The invention particularly relates to looseleaf notebooks having an easel stand affixed to an inside surface of a notebook cover and forming a portion of the cover.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Looseleaf notebooks with ring binder mechanisms to hold looseleaf paper are well known in the art. Such notebooks are in common use by students, sales persons, business and technical personnel and in general all in widespread use. Looseleaf notebooks are often available with built in pockets for holding various items such as pens, pencils or notepaper. Looseleaf notebooks may typically include a clip affixed to one end of the inside cover normally at the top end so that the user can conveniently secure unbound documents or notes of particular interest.
Conventional looseleaf notebooks or other notebooks for holding or filing papers normally are not intended for use in displaying the stored contents to others. Such notebooks also can not be conveniently used for the writing of text contained in any of the sheets found therein when the notebook is held in an upright position. There is a need by many users, particularly sales people, to be able to display any one or more of the sheets contained in the notebook without removing the sheets from the book. There is also a need by many users to be able to fold the notebook in an upright position while hand writing information on any of the sheets contained therein. U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,876 discloses a looseleaf notebook binder which is convertible into an easel stand. The convertible notebook disclosed in this reference has two fastener bails or hooks affixed to the inside surface of one side of the notebook cover. When it is desired to convert the notebook to an easel stand, the looseleaf binder rings are opened and the cover containing the fastener hooks is partially closed to permit engagement of the hooks onto the binder rings. The opposite side of the cover, that is, the side not containing the fastener hooks, is foldable under the rings resulting in a standing base. When this is done, the cover containing the hooks forms an easel stand which is kept from falling over by the standing base and the hooks now pulling on the binder rings. The easel stand formed in this manner allows for display of any one of the looseleaf sheets contained in the notebook. But it has the disadvantage that the easel is not supported securely enough at its base to allow for writing on the looseleaf sheets without causing the easel to topple backward.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a notebook, particularly a looseleaf binder notebook, which can be readily converted into an easel stand for display of any one of the looseleaf sheets contained therein.
It is an important object to provide a notebook convertible to an easel secure enough when opened to an upright position to permit hand writing or sketching on any of the looseleaf sheets on the easel.
Another objective of the invention is to include a line guide which is slidable along the edges of the looseleaf sheet when the easel stand is open and the looseleaf sheets appear in an upright position.